26 July 2023 , 02:11
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Lyle Lovett & His Large Band member Charles Rose discovered a noose hanging on a light pole in Montana over the weekend and urged police to investigate the case as a possible hate crime.
Trombone player Charles Rose said that he came across the noose hanging on the light pole only a few feet away from the band's tour bus in Billings, Montana. Lyle Lovett & His Large Band were performing a concert in downtown Billings that Sunday evening.
In a Facebook post, the country music musician shared an image of the noose he found and wrote: "I don't recall seeing it when we first arrived this morning. Scary. Needless to say I took it down."
Rose filed a police report for a possible hate crime in Montana (Facebook)According to ABC News, Rose filed a police report shortly after. The mayor of Billings Montana, Bill Cole, also addressed the issue during a city council meeting on Monday.
In the meeting, the mayor said: "Your city council, police department and city leaders take this matter very seriously" he added: "We condemn any hateful speech or symbols of hate in our community.”
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According to Cole, no other witnesses have come forward and they are still unsure who placed the noose on the light pole since they have not been able to find any video footage of the area either.
Nooses have historically been a strong symbol of hate in American history - representing thousands of innocent people that were lynched. More than 4,7000 people were lynched in the US between 1882 and 1968, according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), though it is believed that number could be much higher. Over 70 percent of victims were African American.
Lyle Lovett is currently on tour with his band performing across the United States with concerts scheduled until March of 2024 (Getty Images)The city of Billings has had an unfortunate dark past of racist attacks including racist graffiti defacing a Native American family's house and hate flyers were posted near a Jewish synagogue. In both instances, the Montana community came together to tear down and paint over the hate crimes, showing support for their Native American and Jewish residents.
Lyle Lovett is an American singer, songwriter, and actor that has been making music since 1980. Lovett has recorded fourteen albums during the plan of his career in addition to 25 singles. His most well-known song 'Cowboy Man' made number 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2005. He has also won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Lyle Lovett is currently on tour with his band performing across the United States with concerts scheduled until March of 2024.